Automatic device for transferring a rib end from a needle row of a flat knitting machine to a loop transfer reed



May I 27, 1969 L. FONTAINE 3, 6 AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING A RIB END FROM A NEEDLE ROW OF A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE TO A LOOP TRANSFER REED Filed Jan. 26, 1967 Sheet of 4 INVENTOR. L, Fon tel 7E.

ATPDRN ems May 27, 1969 w L. FONTAINE 3,445,042 AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR TRANSFEHRING A RIB END FROM A NEEDLE ROW I OF A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE TO A LOOP TRANSFER REED Filed Jan. 26, 1967 Sheet & 014

INVENTOR. L. Fontame o k h gdu" y 7 1969 FONTAINE AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING A RIB END FROM A OF A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE TO A LOOP TRANSFER REED Filed Jan. 26. 196 Sheet Q 01' 4 INVENTOR. L. Fo'ntac'ne ATTOILN E85 May 27, 1969 L. FONTAINE 3,

AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR TRANSFERRING A RIB END FROM A NEEDLE ROW O A FLAT KNITTING MACHINE TO A LOOP TRANSFER REED Filed Jan. 26, 1967 Sheet 4 of 4 INVENTOR. L. F o n f 04' 0a ATTolLNE$S United States Patent Int. (31.15041, 9/40 US. Cl. 66-148 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flat knitting machine is provided with a device for transferring a rib end, which includes a loop transfer reed having teeth which grasp loops of the last loop row of the rib, whereupon these loops are hooked upon a magazine reed.

The large majority of the present flat knitting frames of the type consisting of a plurality of knitting heads assembled end to end, do not allow making rib ends. Thus, when it is desired to knit panels provided with a rib end, the latter is usually knitted on a flat knitting machine with two needle rows provided therefor. Heretofore, the transfer of rib ends from said machine to the knitting frame has needed a critical operation requiring skilled labour, namely the manual hook-up of rib ends on a magazine reed. Since a flat knitting frame may comprise up to 24 knitting heads each receiving a rib end for one panel being made, the length of the manual hook-up may lead to a substantial lowering of the production of the frame, except when providing two flat knitting machines and two operators for one frame. Of course, this solution is prohibitive from the economical point of view.

It is an object of this invention to avoid these drawbacks by providing a transfer device for use in the flat knitting machine intended for knitting rib ends, said device providing for the automatic transfer of a finished rib end from a needle row of said machine to the loop transfer reed which may receive one or more rib ends.

The device according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises substantially the combination of a loop transfer reed having a length equal to that of the needle rows of the machine being equipped, means for holding said loop transfer reed in a waiting position, means providing, when the device is operating, the shifting of the loop transfer reed to the needle row supporting the last loop roW of the rib end being transferred in such manner that each tooth of said reed grasps the loop carried by the corresponding needle of said needle row, means for bringing said loop transfer reed in front of the teeth of a magazine reed and a transfer member hookingup the loops carried by said loop transfer reed upon said magazine reed. I

Thus, with that device, the critical operation of the hooking-up of the rib end from the flat knitting machine may be carried out automatically without any manual operation. The magazine reed may be conditioned to receive a plurality of finished rib ends which are then stitched as usual upon the flat knitting frame or to receive a single rib end and to be then brought by a suitable conveying mechanism directly upon the flat knitting frame in front of a needle row thereof.

Such device may be provided in different embodiments. Thus, only by way of illustration and without any limitation, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described hereafter with reference to the enclosed drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic end view of a head of a flat knitting machine provided with the device according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a kinematic view of the means of the device according to the invention through which the needles of a needle row of the fiat knitting machine are brought into high position prior to unstitching;

FIGURE 3 is a kinematic view of the mechanism orienting the loop transfer reed of the device according to the invention and FIGURE 4 is a kinematic diagram of the control mechanism used for shifting the loop transfer reed.

The head of the machine represented in FIGURE 1 comprises as usual two needle beds 1 and 2 each ended by knocking-over teeth 3 and 4 respectively.

The movement of the needles 5 is controlled by cams 6 and 7 carried by a carriage 8, as well known. The device according to the invention comprises four main elements, namely a loop transfer reed 9, a magazine reed 10, a transfer member 11 and a control cam shaft 12. The loop transfer reed 9 may be moved angularly about an axis and linearly along a guiding member 14 consisting of a lever pivoting about axis 13, such lever being provided on either side of a needle row of the machine. The reed has a length substantially equal to that of a needle row and it is pivoted at each end by a carriage 15 sliding on the lever 14. The axis 13 is held oneither side of the machine through a support 16 the lower end of which is bolted on a part of the machine frame. For allowing transferring of the knitwear held by the needles of bed 1, there is provided a mechanism allowing the simultaneous rising of all the needles of bed 1. This mechanism comprises substantially an U-section 17 perpendicular to needles 5 and extending across the width of bed 1.

This section 17 is carried at the end of a control rod 18 the other end of which is pivoted on a crank 19 the axis of which is represented at 20. This crank comprises a second arm 21 the end of which is pivoted on a lever 22 which is itself pivoted at the end of a lever 23 the other end of which is pivoted about an axis 24. The lever 23 is provided with a follower 25 running on the profile of a control cam 26 of shaft 12. This arrangement makes it possible to bring section 17 into one of the two end positions, the high position being represented in full lines and the low position being represented in broken lines in FIGURE 2. When section 17 is in high position, the needles 5 are substantially projecting from knocking-over teeth 3 of needle bed 1.

The angular movement of loop transfer reed 9 is represented diagrammatically in FIGURE 3. A guiding lever 14 is extended beyond axis 13 by a lever 27 the free end of which is connected through an adjustable rod 28 with the end of a lever 29 pivoted about said axis 24 and the other end of which is pivoted on the end of a lever 30 which is itself pivoted at its other end on axis 20. Said lever 30 is provided with a follower 31 running on the profile of a cam 32 of the shaft 12. This arrangement makes it possible to bring the guiding member 14 or the loop transfer reed 9 into one of the two end positions, namely a horizontal position represented in broken lines in FIGURE 3 and a slanting position represented in full lines in the same figure, reed 9 being, in said figure, disposed substantially in the plane of needles 5 of needle bed 1.

The linear movement of the loop transfer reed 9 along the guiding member 14 is controlled from a cam 33 of the shaft 12, said cam being engaged by a follower 34 mounted idly on a lever 35 one end of which is pivoted on axis 20 and the other end of which is pivoted at the end of the lever 36 the other end of which is pivoted about the end of a leg of a bent lever 37 pivoted about an axis 38 carried by the support 16, the end of the other leg of said lever 37 being pivoted on a lever 39 which is itself pivoted on the carriage 15. Thus, the loop transfer reed 9 may be moved along the guiding member 14 whatever the position thereof may be.

The transfer or hook-up member 11 consisting of a reed 40 carried by a carriage 41 movable along guides 42 under the action of a bent lever 43 pivoted about an axis 44 is connected through an adjustable rod 45 with a lever 46 extending the crank leg 21. The connection between said rod 45 and the end of lever 46 provided with a roller 47 is made through a flange 48 provided on said rod 45 and against which the roller 47 is urged through a helical spring 49 surrounding the lower end of rod 45 and leaning on an annular stop 50 integral therewith. The above described device operates substantially as follows: during the knitting operation, the loop transfer reed 9 is in Waiting position, namely in close vicinity of axis 13, the guiding member 14 being in horizontal position. When the knitting of the rib end is nearly terminated, the last loop row thereof is carried by the needles of needle bed 1. The rotation of cam shaft 12 is then initiated, thereby engaging section 17 with the butts 51 of the needles 5, then imparting a rising movement to the section 17, so that the needles 5 are brought into high position as represented in FIGURE 2.

Simultaneously, the cam 32 controls the inclination of the guiding member 14, whereas the cam 33 brings the carriage 15, i.e. the loop transfer reed 9, into low position, the eyes of the hooks of said reed 9 surrounding each a needle 5 in high position to take the loops retained thereon. The cam shaft 12 continues rotating, the guiding member 14 being brought to its horizontal position. At that time, the cam 33 being duly profiled therefor, the relative movement between carriages 15 and the corresponding guiding members 14 is relatively Weak, the lever 39 pivoting only about the end of a leg of bent lever 37. When member 14 reaches its upper horizontal position, the hooks of the loop transfer reed 9 come between the teeth of the hook-up reed 40, said teeth being situated between the rib end 52 and the bottom of said reed 9. This position being reached, cam 26 provides for the downward movement of needles 5 and, through lever 38,

control rod 45 and bent lever 43, the movement toward the magazine reed of the hook-up reed 40. The latter hooks-up the knitwear 52 which comes on the magazine reed 10.

In another embodiment, the above described operation may be repated for several rib ends, the latter being stored on the same reed 10.

Numerous modifications may be brought as well to the various members of the above described device as to their relative position without departing from the scope of the invention. This invention covers also any flat knitting machine equipped with a device such as hereabove described and defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic device for transferring a rib end from a needle row of a fiat knitting machine to a toothed magazine reed, said device comprising a loop transfer reed having a length equal to that of the needle rows of said machine, means holding said loop transfer reed in a waiting position, means shifting said loop transfer reed to the needle row supporting the last loop row of the rib and causing each hook of said reed to grasp the loop carried by the corresponding needle of said needle row, means bringing said loop transfer reed in front of the magazine reed, and means hooking up the loops carried by said loop transfer reed on said magazine reed.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second-mentioned means comprise means imparting to said loop transfer reed an angular movement about a stationary axis and a translation movement.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the third-mentioned means comprise means shifting said loop transfer reed to the needle row and imparting to said loop transfer reed an angular movement about a stationary axis and a translation movement.

4. A device according to claim 1, further comprising means for bringing the needles supporting the finished rib end into high position prior to the action of said loop transfer reed.

5. A device according to claim 4, further comprising a common cam shaft for, actuating said means.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein said means holding the loop transfer reed in waiting position comprise two supports secured to the machine frame at one end thereof, the other end of said supports supporting an axis extending substantially across the width of the needle rows and in a parallel direction therewith.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein said means providing for the shifting of the loop transfer reed to the needle row comprise two straight guiding members pivoted at one end on said axis of the means holding the reed in waiting position, two carriages sliding respectively on said guiding members and carrying said reed, a lever set, the angular position of said members being determined from a cam of said common cam shaft via said lever set, and another lever set, the sliding of said carriages along the guiding members being controlled by another cam of common cam shaft via the second-mentioned lever set.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the transfer member hooking-up the loops carried by the loop transfer reed on said magazine reed comprises substantially a reed carried by the two carriages sliding respectively along straight guides carried by a stationary part of the device and extending in a parallel direction to the plane occupied by the said transfer member in high position.

9. A device according to claim 8, comprising a lever set actuated from said means bringing the needles carrying the finished rib and into high position and reciprocating said carriages of the transfer reed.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein said means bringing the needles of a needle row into high position comprise a U-section extending at right angles with and above said needles, said section engaging the needle butts controlling each one of said needles, and a lever set controlled by a cam of said common cam shaft and moving said section in a parallel direction to the needle bed.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein said magazine reed is conditioned to receive a plurality of rib ends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 551,629 12/ 1895 Granz 667O 575,395 l/l897 Granz 66-70 2,186,023 1/1940 Howie 66-448 3,243,976 4/1966 Matthews 66--148 3,349,576 10/1967 Borne 66-148 3,377,822 4/1968 Start et al. 6688 FOREIGN PATENTS 839,839 5/1952 Germany.

787,994 12/ 1957 Great Britain.

879,643 10/ 1961 Great Britain.

955,091 4/ 1964 Great Britain.

'RONAL'D FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner. 

